Mar 13, 2013

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – From the time Briar Cliff University students set foot on campus as freshmen through their senior year, they have many opportunities to do community outreach.

It’s this commitment to service that has earned Briar Cliff a place on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, announced at the American Council on Education’s 95th Annual Meeting, held recently in Washington, D.C.

“Service is the foundation of our Franciscan values,” said Beverly A. Wharton, president, Briar Cliff University. “BCU students passionately embody community service as they embark upon life-changing outreach experiences throughout the U.S. and in other countries.”

Among Briar Cliff student service projects in the U.S. over the past year were collecting food for the Foodbank of Siouxland, building houses for Habitat for Humanity in Sioux City, tutoring underprivileged children in Chicago, rebuilding tornado-ravaged homes in Joplin, Mo. and preparing nutritious meal packets for “Then Feed Just One,” a program for the poor in Honduras and Haiti.

Established by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education, the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is based on the scope and innovation of service projects, extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the institution’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 31 states and 11 countries. Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care, compassion and service. For more information, please visit briarcliff.edu.